


never let me go.

by paleromantic



Series: tumblr prompts. [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Lola's Trial, M/M, andrew loves neil so much, can you tell i don't know how court works really, i hate lola so fucking much, neil needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 12:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16450058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paleromantic/pseuds/paleromantic
Summary: tumblr prompt: can you just hold my hand? for AndreilLola's trial is happening, and Neil isn't okay.





	never let me go.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [witch_lit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/witch_lit/gifts).



> I love these good boys so much and Lola deserves to die.

The courtroom was stuffier than Andrew had expected it to be, much stuffier than it had been for Aaron's trial. Although, he supposed, there were a lot more people here for this trial, reporters and the FBI and such. Here to witness the downfall of the remainders of Nathan Wesninski's circle.

It didn't make it any more uncomfortable than it already had been, though, and Andrew was practically itching to leave. Neil was beside him though, like a statue, and Andrew couldn't leave him to this. Wouldn't leave him to this, and wasn't that strange- Andrew couldn't have left Neil's side if he tried.

He moved his leg to bump their knees together, and Neil turned to look at him, his face relaxing into something softer than it had been. It made Andrew's heart do somersaults.

_Stop looking at me like that._

Instead of saying that, though, he just left their legs pressed together, and sat back until the judge made their entrance. After the formalities were out of the way, they finally, finally, brought in the accused.

Lola Malcolm didn't look much older than late thirties, really. She would have been barely out of her teens when Neil was a child. Andrew wondered if he would have been able to hurt an innocent child at that age. He doubted it.

She looked over the crowd, and Andrew knew the exact moment that her and Neil saw each other, felt him stiffen beside him and slid a hand over to grab the back of his neck, forcing him to breathe evenly. Then, he met Lola's eyes. Her gaze lingered on them for a few seconds, narrowing slightly and her smile widening, before she took her seat beside her lawyer.

Then, it was Neil's turn. Andrew was reluctant to let him go, wanted to follow him up there, but that wouldn't help his case. Instead, he sat stock still a Neil made his way up to the stand. The people started to whisper, no doubt seeing the scars and jumping to their own conclusions, pitying him. Neil's lawyer had said that that would be good for the case, than the weaker Neil looked, the more the jury would take his side. It had taken everything in Andrew not to kill the man after.

"State your name for the court, sir."

Neil cleared his throat. "Neil Abram Josten, your honour."

"And your birth name, for clarity?"

Andrew gritted his teeth, but Neil didn't seem to be too bothered. "Nathaniel Wesninski. Ny father was Nathan Wesninski, the butcher of Baltimore."

The judge nodded, and then looked towards the other table, where the accused sat.

"Now, tell us about the accused, Mr. Josten."

Neil worked his jaw, and then gripped the stand, his eyes sliding over to where Lola was sitting. Andrew couldn't see her face, but he was willing to bet that she was smiling.

"Lola Malcolm was one of my father's closest associates, his inner circle. I've known her my whole life."

The judge ran through a couple of preliminary questions, about Neil's early life in Baltimore and Lola's presence in it, but Andrew wasn't listening. He had heard it before, from Neil, and he wasn't sure if he could handle hearing it again with her so close.

Soon enough though, it ended, and he looked to Aaron, who had his jaw clenched.

"They're looking to plead insanity, say that she wasn't right of mind when she did all that to him."

Anger flared up in his chest, and he looked back at Neil, who looked faintly sick. Andrew would probably have walked up there already if not for Aaron and Renee's presences beside him.

The judge frowned, and then looked over at Lola's lawyer. "And on what grounds, would you have us believe that Ms. Malcolm was insane for the events in Baltimore."

The lawyer smirked, and then produced a set of tapes from his briefcase.

_No._

Andrew went to stand up, but Renee and Aaron both dragged him down again, making him sit still. He twitched anyway, and then met Neil's eyes.

They brought out an old television set for the tapes to be played on, but even the judge looked wary as she allowed them to play it.

The beginning was fuzzy, but eventually the scene cleared up on a little boy, being held down by a larger woman. Andrew's blood ran cold.

"Oh sir, let me do it?" She looked up at someone outside of the frame, and then pouted. "Why do you get to have all of the fun?"

Footsteps, and then Nathan Wesninski came into view, brandishing a hot iron. He heard Aaron curse under his breath, Renee's sharp intake of breath, but he only had eyes for Neil. Neil, who looked to be on the verge of a panic attack.

They changed tapes, and this time Neil was a little older in it, crying as Lola carved up his chest, laughing all the while. Andrew was almost sure it would be worth the jail time to snap her neck where she was sitting.

Neil looked closed to passing out, and Andrew clenched his fists, letting Renee wrap a gentle arm around his own, keeping him in place. He was going to kill her. It was one thing hearing about this, and another thing completely to watch it happen.

The judge looked to be close to tears, as the Lola on the screen continued to taunt and torture the younger Neil, who was crying all the while.

Then, the last tape. It was shaky, almost like a handheld video recorder, so the quality wasn't as good. However, it was unmistakable what what happening.

The camera seemed to be positioned on the dashboard of a car, pointed towards the passenger seat where Lola was crowding Neil back into the leather. She had her usual bright smile on her face, and Neil was bleeding, badly. The cuts that Andrew had so often washed sat bloody and fresh on his cheeks, but there were no burns.

Yet, his mind supplied rather unhelpfully.

Lola on the screen reached for the dashboard lighter, lifting it up, and that was when Neil made a choked noise from the stand, and his lawyer stood up to talk to the judge.

"Your honour, this is hurting my client."

The judge took a look at Neil, who was sobbing and shaking on the stand, and then swallowed harshly. "Stop the tape, I've seen enough."

The rest of the court session passed pretty quickly, since both the judge and the jury were in agreement that Lola had shown very little indication of being any less than perfectly lucid and sane during those videos. Andrew almost smiled, since Lola's plan had backfired so thoroughly, but it was hard to smile when Neil was still trapped up on the stand, fighting his way through his own panic.

Lola was sentenced to two life sentences. It wasn't enough, as far as Andrew was concerned. A slow death would have been preferable.

Still, when it had come to an end, Neil was finally reunited with them. By sheer force of will, Andrew allowed the other foxes to pass him around gently, before going to him, placing his hand on the back of his neck and squeezing gently.

"Breathe, Abram. You did it, she's going to prison."

Neil's breath was coming fast, and he covered his mouth, collapsing against him just a little. Andrew held him as he calmed down, until he felt Neil's breath even out. His face was red and he had stained Andrew's shirt with tears and snot, but Andrew hardly noticed.

The walk back to the bus was a quiet one. They had won, of course they had, but it didn't really feel like it when Neil was so shaken afterwards.

They all took their usual seats, Andrew bringing Neil to the back and letting him sit against him, pressing his back against Andrew's chest.

He swallowed wetly, and then sniffed. "Drew?"

It was odd to see Neil so upset, so affected by something like this, but Andrew hardly had the room to judge, so he just pressed his lips to Neil's hair and then spoke.

"Yes?"

Neil chewed on his lip, before holding up a hand. "Can you hold my hand? Just for the bus ride."

They had only recently started holding hands, and Neil still asked every time. Andrew found himself quite partial to it, surprisingly. Although that could be said for a lot of things, when it came to Neil. Carefully, he took Neil's hand and tangled their fingers together, and then rested his head against him. He'd hold Neil's hand to the ends of the earth if he had to, to keep Neil safe.

He knew that Neil was smiling, but for once, he didn't want to stop him. He felt Neil shift, and then the brush of lips against his forehead.

"Thank you."

Andrew rolled his eyes, and then returned the kiss to the soft area behind his ear. "Go to sleep, Junkie."


End file.
